Enjoy Chuckles With ‘The Faculty’
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen Meredith Baxter in a sitcom. Since starring in Emmy-winning “Family Ties,” Baxter has been primarily a TV-movie star. She’s played a murderer, a lesbian mom, the mother of a teen suicide victim and a woman battling breast cancer.
She’s ripe for something a little lighter, and she’s right at home as the star of ABC’s “The Faculty,” at 8:30.
Baxter plays Flynn Sullivan, assistant principal at Hamilton Middle School, a place that owes a lot to “Our Miss Brooks” and “Welcome Back Kotter.”
After viewing the first three episodes, I found the scripts a bit spotty. But that’s easily compensated for by several charming and funny performances by a likable cast.
At the top of the list is Peter Michael Goetz as Flynn’s boss, Herb Adams. He lights up every scene as the eccentric, absent-minded principal.
Also setting up some good laughs are Peter MacKenzie as naive history teacher Clark Edwards, Constance Shulman as Flynn’s fellow teacher and best friend, Shelly Ray, and Nancy Lenehan as Adams’ acerbic office assistant, Daisy Skelnick.
In the premiere, Flynn must deal with a student accused of scrawling X-rated graffiti on the school building.
It’s an old-fashioned comedy, mostly nonsense, but with just enough going for it to avoid being dubbed dumb or silly.
Highlights
“JAG,” NBC at 8: The series returns to prime time with a politically charged episode that includes guest-star Terry O’Quinn, returning in the role he played in the series pilot - the tough-as-nails flier known as “The CAG.”
Rabb (David James Elliott) and Austin (Tracey Needham) are dispatched to Naples to defend “The CAG” after he shoots down a Serbian helicopter gunship he says fired on downed U.S. pilots. Andrea Thompson (“Babylon 5”) and John M. Jackson (“A Few Good Men”) join the cast as regulars.
“Ellen,” ABC at 8: Financially strapped Ellen gets help from an unlikely source: Audrey’s (Clea Lewis) parents (guest-stars Carol Kane and Barry Corbin).
“A Mother’s Instinct” (1996), CBS at 9: How many times has this plot been reworked? Lindsay Wagner and Debrah Farentino star as two women who discover they are married to the same man (John Terry), a scoundrel who has run off with the children from his first marriage. Unavailable for review.
“TV’s All-Time Funniest Weddings,” FOX at 9: Another of those theme-driven specials taps one of TV comedy’s staples. Weddings from “Cheers,” “Married … With Children,” “The Simpsons,” “Frasier” and 40 other series are highlighted.
Cable Calls
“Little Odessa” (1994), MAX at 8: There’s a chill that runs through this violent, atmospheric and multilayered drama about a hit man (Tim Roth), who is hired to return to his old Russian-Jewish Brooklyn neighborhood to carry out a contract killing.
While stalking his target, he can’t avoid people from his past, including his brother (Edward Furlong) and the girl he left behind (Moira Kelly).
“Death Benefit” (1996), USA at 9: Peter Horton (“thirtysomething”) stars as a corporate lawyer who takes a pro bono case involving an insurance settlement for a woman (Carrie Snodgress) whose daughter died from a fatal fall. But the lawyer soon suspects foul play, possibly involving his client.
The USA original movie is based on a true story. Unavailable for review.
Talk Time
“Tonight,” NBC at 11:35: Dennis Franz (“NYPD Blue”), 5-year-old actress Emily Young and Lenny Clark (“The John Larroquette Show”).
“Late Show With David Letterman,” CBS at 11:35: Actor Nicolas Cage, Lisa Kudrow (“Friends”) and musical group Blues Traveler. Repeat.
“Late Night With Conan O’Brien,” NBC at 12:35 a.m.: Actor Nathan Lane, talk-show host Montel Williams and Rondell Sheridan (“Minor Adjustments”).